Independence Day
15 August — the transfer of power in 1947, marked from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
Where it is kept All India; the principal ceremony is at the Red Fort, Delhi.
When it falls
A fixed Gregorian date. It does not move.
Overview
The Indian Independence Act 1947 took effect at midnight on 14–15 August 1947, ending British rule and creating the two dominions of India and Pakistan. Jawaharlal Nehru's address to the Constituent Assembly that night — the Tryst with Destiny speech — was delivered in the minutes before the transfer.
The Prime Minister raises the flag at the Red Fort and addresses the country each year. It is one of India's three national holidays.
Where it comes from
The date was set by Lord Mountbatten and brought the transfer forward by nearly a year from the June 1948 originally planned. The boundary award dividing Punjab and Bengal was not published until 17 August, two days after independence — a sequence that contributed materially to the scale of the Partition violence.
The Partition displaced an estimated ten to twenty million people and the death toll is generally put between several hundred thousand and two million. India observes Partition Horrors Remembrance Day on 14 August, designated in 2021.
Why it matters
The distinction between this day and Republic Day is often lost and is worth keeping: 15 August 1947 is independence; 26 January 1950 is the Constitution coming into force. Between the two, India was a dominion under the Government of India Act 1935.
The flag-raising at the Red Fort is a hoisting — the flag is raised from the bottom of the pole — while on Republic Day it is unfurled from the top. The distinction is deliberate and marks the difference between the two occasions.
How to celebrate
- Hoist the flag from the base of the poleThe 15 August form; Republic Day unfurls a flag already at the top.
- Observe the Flag Code in fullSaffron uppermost, the flag never touching the ground, no soiled or torn flag flown.
- Read something on Partition alongside the celebration14 August is Partition Horrors Remembrance Day; the two dates belong together.
What to avoid
These are not all the same kind of thing. Some are prohibitions from a named text, some are Indian law, some are practical, and some are a confusion worth not repeating. Each item says which it is.
- Do not discard paper or plastic flags after the eventThe commonest breach of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act 1971 falls on the evening of 15 August.
- Do not print the flag on disposable goods, clothing or packagingProhibited under the Flag Code of India.
- Do not use glass-coated manja for the kites flown on this dayKite flying is customary on 15 August in Delhi and Gujarat; the coated string is banned and causes deaths every year.
- Do not expect alcohol to be on saleA statutory dry day across India.
Where this comes from
Everything above is either computed by this site’s own panchang engine, or drawn from the works listed here. Where a custom is modern, commercial or contested, the page says so rather than presenting it as ancient.
- Indian Independence Act 1947, effective 15 August 1947.
- Jawaharlal Nehru, address to the Constituent Assembly, 14 August 1947.
- Radcliffe boundary award, published 17 August 1947.
- Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, 14 August, designated 2021.
- Flag Code of India 2002 and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act 1971.
Dates are computed for the place named above and will differ elsewhere. Regional traditions vary; where two reckonings are in use, both are named rather than one being chosen silently.
Other festivals
All festivals, with dates for any year · The calendar on the home page